Speaker 1: 0:30

Lauren Wiley, I'm with Pearson Smith Realty and I'm a realtor and I also own a staging company as well.

Speaker 2: 0:40

Okay, beautiful. And then I would like to ask you do have a certification. I guess that comes with military relocation, is that correct? Yes, can you talk to me a little bit about that and why you got that?

Speaker 1: 0:52

Yeah, absolutely so. I used to work for the US Navy. That was my first job out of college and I worked at Walter Reed and another Navy installation. So I just inherently, you know, worked outside of real estate with a lot of military folks and then that became one of my biggest referral sources when I got into real estate. So I wanted to understand all the intricacies of what's involved with a military relocation. So I got my military relocation certification and now that's probably half my business is military folks.

Speaker 2: 1:33

Oh, wow, yeah, you found like your niche and you're like I'm going with it, right. Yeah, exactly, that's awesome. And then tell me about how you got started in your industry. Like, how did that come to be? Was this always the game plan for you?

Speaker 1: 1:44

Nope, never Nope. I really didn't know what I was going to do. My first job was at a marina in high school, like working with people, boat reservations, stuff like that and so I've always worked in customer service industry and I got a master or, excuse me, a bachelor's in mass communication and didn't really know what I was going to do with it, but ended up working in, basically, pr for the military. And then I started going to open houses just for fun, because I didn't know anyone when I moved here. Yeah, that's okay, yeah. And I ended up just really starting to fall for the different types of properties in this area. There's so many unique areas, there's new construction, like here in Leesburg, there's beautiful historic homes, and so I just really started to fall in love with architecture and real estate in general and I was like this is a hobby for me at this point, so I might as well get my license. And so I did, and I did it part time while working for the Navy until 2017. And then I went full time.

Speaker 2: 3:02

Okay, and then you also do staging. Talk to me about that part as well.

Speaker 1: 3:07

Yeah, so that is like very much a new development in my business that started this past year. You know, when you get started in real estate you're usually working with a lot of buyers and I think it's a natural progression that you start to have those buyers turn sellers and you also start to get more referrals as you're in the business longer. So I found myself in the last year and a half-ish transitioning to more listings. And you know, staging is expensive for sellers and a lot of them they either don't want to do it because they maybe don't understand the value or they just can't simply afford it. Yeah, so I started offering that as part of my services and when you hire me to sell your house, I stage it.

Speaker 1: 3:59

I started gradually building up my inventory. Then I had other agents ask hey, can you stage a place for me? I was like I guess I could. Then I got my staging design professional certification earlier this year and so that I figure out like design principles, because that's all new to me as well. I generally understand like the aesthetic, but it's been really fun. It's a really fun extension of my business, like making homes beautiful, yes, and feel like, because people buy a home based off of a feeling and you want to create a vibe when they come in, and so it's been really fun to do that creative side to the business.

Speaker 2: 4:48

I'm sure I did just a little bit with, like, our Christmas decorations back there and I found I mean, I don't know anything, I'm sure you're the professional, but I just use Pinterest boards and stuff, so I can totally see that being like relaxing and just putting everything on and getting to think about like the process of the look that you're trying to go for and your inspo. So congratulations to that new certification that you have to do that and like give another amazing experience to your clients, like a level up, you know.

Speaker 1: 5:17

Yeah, for sure. It's so fun and like finding unique pieces off like Facebook marketplace and you know every property is different. So I try and mostly for the most part, um. So I try and bring in a piece or two that are very unique, not something you're going to see in every stage.

Speaker 2: 5:32

Yeah, you know that's. That's amazing. I'd like to know cause. You touched on this a little bit. A lot of people don't know the value of staging. Can you maybe debunk that misconception? I guess, like what do you need that for? Talk to me about why it's important.

Speaker 1: 5:44

Why it's important. Well, statistically speaking, homes that are staged sell faster and for significantly more money than homes that are vacant, because most buyers do not have a vision for the spaces when they come in. They don't understand where the placement would be and the house just feels cold sometimes. Or it's a home that may have a lot of cosmetic blemishes and it draws like it just highlights it when there's nothing else around to you know.

Speaker 2: 6:19

Give it that little oomph.

Speaker 1: 6:20

Yeah Right, it's just your eyes are focused on, oh, that scratch on the floor over there, or oh, look at this really crappy trim job you know. So it helps to not only create a feeling, but also it's more or less a distraction from some slight imperfections.

Speaker 2: 6:38

Yeah. Or you can see like the beauty of it. You don't have to always look at the imperfections. You can see like the potential of everything. It's not really the big picture. The big picture is like look, you can still make this homework no matter what. It's not a big deal.

Speaker 1: 6:50

Exactly, and those little blemishes, because I started with buyers right, and I still work with buyers. But in a buyer's mind a lot of these simple things like painting and trim work or even outlet covers being replaced, they cost significantly more in a buyer's mind than what it realistically costs to do. Costs to do so. The more you can do to minimize that attention, that distraction for them, the better offers you're going to get.

Speaker 2: 7:24

For sure. No. Thank you for elaborating on that Sure. And how do you approach marketing and promoting properties to potential buyers and what strategies have you found to be most effective for you?

Speaker 1: 7:36

So you know, we're in an era of video now and everyone's on social. That is where people are all the time. We live in social, Insta, TikTok, everything. We're all online. So I have resisted, even though you, even though I'm like an elder millennial at this point, but there's definitely some value in that. I recently went to a TikTok retreat and-.

Speaker 2: 8:07

Huh, Wait, wait back up a little bit what is that so it is.

Speaker 1: 8:12

The Homegirl Society is what it's called, and it's a group of women we all met on TikTok and we get together once a year for a retreat and it's basically like a business mastermind and people are sharing marketing strategies and some of these women are like 99% of their business is coming from one platform alone, like TikTok. Oh, my goodness, they figured it out, they've mastered it, and so I'm taking pieces from that and trying to utilize in my own business. But there's definitely a lot of power in social media. But to circle back to your question about how I market, it's really important to use a solid photographer.

Speaker 1: 8:57

Video is really important and that is a huge element of my marketing. So it's multifaceted really. It's staging, it's presentation, it is preparation before you get the home on the market, and there's so much more that goes into it than just getting pictures done. I also enjoy gardening, so I usually bring in planters and things for my listings and fresh cut flowers and doing all these things to create a feeling and when you're scrolling through homes on Zillow or whatever, it is like online dating, like you get one shot to really draw in someone's attention, yes, and that you could lose them if you don't have compelling marketing, that's right, and the photos are obviously a huge part of that.

Speaker 2: 9:53

Yeah, definitely, the first impression like is always really important. Like I know people are like, oh, it's not about that, but it actually is, like it's very important. Yeah, definitely, the first impression like is always really important. Like I know people are like, oh, it's not about that, but it actually is, like it's very important, so hugely, yeah, absolutely. And then are you on your own? Are you working with a team? Do you do everything yourself? How does that?

Speaker 1: 10:09

Yeah, so I'm a solo agent, but I have a lot of support. I have someone who helps me with marketing. I have a transaction coordinator. Amber Crow is amazing. If anyone's looking for a TC, I don't know what I would do without her Contract to close. They are so, on top of everything, shout out. Amber, yes, yes, yeah. So, and I have some agents who assist me with showings and support like that, but I'm solo.

Speaker 2: 10:43

Okay, cool, very nice. I'm glad you have that support because I know sometimes it is a little bit harder sometimes when you're solo and you don't have that support and you kind of need, like, wait, I'm not running into the situation. Let me ask this oh perfect, thank you. Or just in general, just to have feedback, conversations and learn from each other. I think that's always so important to have a community behind you.

Speaker 1: 11:01

Oh, definitely, and something that I've learned as I've gotten, you know, more established in my business and my career is like you have to know when to ask for help and outsource tasks, because otherwise you are going to completely burn out, and I've been there and you have to be mindful. You have to check in with yourself and your business regularly and see what makes sense to outsource. What is my hourly rate? What would this look like if I hired it out? What more could I be doing with my time if I choose someone else to do the things that I really don't like doing or I don't really have time for? And it has really changed my business leveraging other people to help me.

Speaker 2: 11:45

So just knowing when to step back and being like, okay, I'm going to have this person do that so I can focus on this a little bit more, is important because, as you mentioned before, with burning out, it can happen. Sometimes people want to take on everything and say yes, yes, yes, yes to everything, but realistically that's not going to be good for your business or for yourself, because you need to take those breaks. You need to be able to say no Exactly, especially as you scale up with bigger opportunities and more clients. You need all the help you can get Absolutely. And then I'd like to ask you what do you think are some important factors that people should be looking out for when they are hiring real estate agents, in your opinion? Like, what are some key things that they should consider?

Speaker 1: 12:29

Yeah. So it's a relationship, um, and you become very uh close with your agent At least that's been my client experience and you lean on them because it is an emotional process. So it's really important to take the time to really get to know that agent through going to get coffee before you or do a Zoom or whatever, and just really sit down and see if your personalities align. Experience is important, market knowledge is really important, but also making sure that that agent has the right personality to work with you, because it's not one size fits all, you know.

Speaker 2: 13:17

Absolutely. And then what have been some of your challenges being a real estate agent with, like, some of the laws that have been changing and just maybe not having enough inventory around here? What are some challenges that maybe you'd like to highlight and talk to us about how you got through some of those?

Speaker 1: 13:34

So, quite honestly, the lawsuit hasn't really changed my business that much at all. I haven't lost any business because of it. It's something that we have always been supposed to do is get a buyer agency agreement in place before you go out and show homes to people, so that was always more or less part of my practice. So that's a new part which I know a lot of agents are having some growing pains with, and we always should have been having the same conversation in advance about how commissions are paid. So really, that part hasn't really been much of a challenge. Excuse me, but I'd say the inventory has been challenging and, with rates being higher, buyers are more selective, which they should be. Um, I think the harder part with the low inventory and the interest rates is changing or educating sellers' mindset, because many sellers are still in a mindset of 2020 market and they expect a dozen offers the first weekend and way over asking and waiving everything, and that the reality is that's not the market that we're in anymore?

Speaker 2: 14:54

No, absolutely. And then how do you set those expectations for clients who maybe are thinking it's going to go a certain way, like how do you have those conversations with them? Because I'm sure they're like no, but I saw it here on Instagram or I saw like someone was able to do that. Like, are you sure you're not able to do that? And how does that process go?

Speaker 1: 15:11

Yeah, absolutely so. From my experience, I found that data like heavily educating based on numbers and market trends. It's not a personal opinion, it's this is what's happening and this is what's happening in your neighborhood. These are the days on market. This is how it showed. This was the condition of the home and figuring out where to price it appropriately using the numbers. Look at this home. It sat for two months until they got to the price reduction of where it actually should have started in the first place. So having those conversations upfront and utilizing the data that we get from the MLS has been hugely helpful for setting seller expectations and just kind of anecdotal stories of you know, cautionary tales of folks who don't do that, um, and it generally doesn't serve them well and they sit on market and it's frustrating for everyone.

Speaker 2: 16:15

Yeah, absolutely. And then how do you stay motivated and inspired in your work as a real estate agent and what keeps you passionate about the industry?

Speaker 1: 16:25

So that's a great question. So I've always been a hard worker. I grew up in a very rural area on a farm. It was a hobby farm that my parents had. A very rural area on a farm. It was a hobby farm that my parents had. But I've just always been business minded and also a hard worker.

Speaker 1: 16:46

I was recently like cleaning out my mom's house with her and I found this old notebook that was like a menu of services. I made a spa when I was in like third grade and I was pretty fortunate that, like both of my family, my mom's family and dad lived very close together and we would get together for lunch at my mom's my grandma on my mom's side and dinner at my dad's mom's every Sunday. So I made this menu of services that I would do for like all my aunts and I did it probably so I could have bought candy because I have like a terrible sweet tooth. But I've just always kind of and I didn't even realize you know that that was a thing.

Speaker 1: 17:31

But I'm just very motivated by challenges and setting goals for myself and just doing a bit better and growing a little more each year and my goals have really evolved as my career has, and I'm figuring out. I feel like you can always do better and I try to surround myself with people who are doing better than me that I can grow and learn from. And having a solid mentor is like very motivating the way she does business, the volume of business she does and the cool things that that provides her and her family, those opportunities for travel and creating generational wealth. I have a daughter, so of course I want to show her what strong work ethic looks like and take her on vacations and do cool stuff that I couldn't do growing up.

Speaker 2: 18:34

That's so beautiful. I want to ask you did your parents instill that in you as well, like being a hard worker and stuff? Because I feel like sometimes it can either be like your parents did that or you had such a hard situation that it inspired you and you're like you know what. The only way for me to get out of this situation is like grinding it out, you know.

Speaker 1: 18:50

Yeah, I mean. So it was a combination of both. They both grew up in very modest of both. They both grew up in very modest, you know, lower middle class families, but they both worked incredibly hard. My dad worked for the state highway administration for his entire career and my mom started working at like a shirt factory and, seeing how hard she had to work because she didn't have a college education or anything, she always was pushing us to get a good education so that we would have an easier pass. So not only did I see how hard they worked, and they still do now they're retired and they're still doing things to help out their community and they're never sitting still. My dad goes to my uncle's dairy farm during the summer almost every day and helps on the farm. Just to you know, he sees that he needs the help and he does it. So they're great. They have a solid work ethic and they also want me to have opportunities now that they couldn't give us.

Speaker 2: 20:02

So that's super motivating for me. Yeah, they sound like great people, like just instilling that in you, like I love it and I love that you want to pass it on to your daughter. It's just inspiring and beautiful. Oh, thank you. Yeah, absolutely. Where do you see yourself in the next five years with your business? And just ask the person.

Speaker 1: 20:20

Yeah, so five years? That's a great question. You know. I remember five years ago someone asked me that and I had these big goals and I wasn't super intentional about setting a plan. Yeah, yeah. But I'd say I'm very happy with where I've progressed in the last five years, because I was in a very different place five years ago. I was struggling with my business and didn't really know what I was doing. So I'd say, five years from now I would like to be more into the luxury market market. I've dabbled in that over the last several years and I've understood. I understand that market a bit better and the properties are beautiful.

Speaker 2: 21:10

I'm sure, right, is it inspiring when you see that You're just like man. This is like for yourself to like getting people in those homes. But also, maybe one day, maybe you could, or maybe you already have that luxury home that you love, right.

Speaker 1: 21:20

Yeah, yeah, I've had a couple multi-million dollar sales this year. You know properties that were both listings and the buy side and like just being part of those properties and that process. It's really incredible. So I'd say, down the road, I'd like to have maybe one other person helping me bring on a buyer's agent. I honestly don't know if a team would ever really be in the cards for me. But yeah, just continuing to grow, build my skill set. I want to get my luxury uh certification, luxury property certification, um, yeah, and personally I hope to have a few investment properties in five years and be able to work less and enjoy my family more, um. So I know that's going to require outsourcing some more things, so hopefully, yeah.

Speaker 2: 22:26

Love it. No, that's good. I love that you already have like it's not like a full on plan. You know, because if you ask me, like where do you see yourself in the next five years? I would in that same chair. I'd be like man, let me like I've thought of it. But sometimes you got to let things just like flow and see where it comes, because right now you're saying maybe, like maybe a team's not in my cards. Well, what if later down the road.

Speaker 1: 22:45

Maybe it was right, we never really know.

Speaker 2: 22:48

So yeah.

Speaker 1: 23:04

And then I would like to ask you is there anything maybe I have not touched on about yourself or your business that maybe you would like to share with our listeners? You have the floor for that. Let's see. I would say if you are a newer agent, it's really important to align with a brokerage that supports your specific needs. Really, do a deep dive into wherever you're looking before you jump ship into one.

Speaker 1: 23:20

I bounced around quite a bit before I found my home at Pearson Smith and like the culture is one of the things that's really important to me and the integrity of the agents, and that is really important. And also finding a solid mentor and learning from them as much as you can. Yeah, and knowing when to ask questions. And it's like there are no dumb questions. Like I tell my clients that all the time they're like oh, this is a really stupid question, but it's like no, there are no dumb questions. Like you don't know until you ask. And I think a lot of people wing it when they're new in anything because you know you want kind of some people like I think a lot of us we fake it till we make it, but like this is a huge part of someone's life and their finance. It's the biggest purchase they'll ever make.

Speaker 1: 24:15

Uh so knowing when to get support and ask questions and just realize that it's going to be a process and you have to be patient and, uh, make sacrifices A lot of them when you get started. Um, I built my business on rentals and everyone thought I was nuts, like a lot of newer agents don't want to do rentals. But I'd say, do not discount renters. They need help and they value it tremendously, because many agents don't like to do that because there's not a lot of money in it. Honestly, and if you nurture the, if you really treat your clients with care and develop a relationship with them, your business will prosper. Yeah, like so it has trained. It completely transformed my business by taking on things that other people weren't necessarily interested in. Yeah, and now it is completely different than where I was, like five years ago. Yeah, no, absolutely.

Speaker 2: 25:18

I'm glad you brought up that point.

Speaker 2: 25:20

So maybe anybody who's listening, who is in that spot right now, who are like I don't want to do these, like maybe, maybe, like you can reconsider that and listen to other entrepreneur stories where, like you put in the work and like it will come back, like the universe finds a way to give all of that back to you because of how much you're putting into right, like it can only grow.

Speaker 2: 25:41

So that's so inspiring to hear and, like you said, I really love that you're a hard worker because it shows and you're just like okay, maybe I can take this road and focus on this. But look, you said I see people are looking for help that rent and there's not a lot of options out there. You know what I'm just going to. I'm going to do it and I'm going to take that leap of faith and it has helped you, yeah. So I think that's incredible that you are kind of like I'm not going to take this path, I'm going to do this harder path here and just see how it goes. I would like to ask you, on the on the note about having a hard work ethic and and just working hard, how do you find time to like balance everything and take care of your mental health and make sure that you are not burnt out, because it's a hard thing to balance right.

Speaker 1: 26:24

Yes, I'm still figuring that out. Honestly, me too, I think we all are. We could all do better with taking time for ourselves and checking in. I'm a big proponent of talk therapy, whether that's through like an app or you know someone you meet with. Uh, I think it's really important to check in and have an outside person to just kind of be a soundboard.

Speaker 1: 26:50

Um, I also really like to travel, so I try and take a trip, I don't know, every two or three months to just decompress, and I am getting better with, like, actually having a vacation. Um, and you know, having some other agents support me while I'm out of town, because every realtor knows when you go on vacation, that's when everybody needs something from you. Um, so I'm really trying to be more mindful of being present in my home life and when we go on vacation. I went to a retreat earlier this year not the TikTok one, this was like a women's wellness retreat in January, and I remember one of the agents there. She's a mega agent and really has an incredible business, and she made mention of, like, when you come home, or when your family comes home in the evening, what like would you want to come home to you?

Speaker 1: 27:53

Think about how you present yourself to your family when you come home, yeah, like, do you come in on your phone? That's like showing your family that you're not as important as what I have on my phone, and it was like, ah, that hurts.

Speaker 2: 28:07

Yeah, I don't know if I'd want to come home to me, so I'm thinking about that stuff too, and I don't think I'd want to come home to me.

Speaker 1: 28:14

Yeah, it was like a brutal reality. And she also said that she takes one day a month to check into a hotel and make time for herself and like I've heard a TikTok trend right now of like dating yourself and because people are over the dating scene, I mean I'm married so I don't know, but she is also married and has found this like new love for self-care and making time for herself, like just going to a movie or just going to dinner by herself. Yeah, and she said it has been hugely helpful for her mental health, her marriage, her family life and I think, especially as moms, we like put ourselves on the back burner and take care of everyone else and our clients and you forget to take care of yourself, and it's like-.

Speaker 1: 29:01

Like who's taking care of you? You need to take care of you. Yes, so that's a work in progress for me. Okay, I'm figuring it out.

Speaker 2: 29:08

Same. You're not alone. There's many of us who are like we're trying to balance it and find what's best, and maybe throughout our lives we found that, hey, this was not working. And now we know and we don't do that anymore. But it's going to be like that, I think, for a while for us and we're going to just continue to grow and learn from there. Yeah, definitely. My final question I like to ask everybody this that comes through has anybody said anything to you that has inspired you? Or maybe you read something in a book, or there's a mantra or a quote that sticks out. Would you like to tell us what it is and leave us with that message?

Speaker 1: 29:42

Honestly, I do not know. I'm like off the top of my head, that's okay.

Speaker 2: 29:47

Maybe your dad or your mom told you something growing up like that inspired you or that you want to pass on to your daughter.

Speaker 1: 29:57

I'm blanking right now. I'm sure there's something, but. I'm like that's all right, I don't know. Okay, I'm sure someone has said something to me at some point that stuck with me.

Speaker 2: 30:07

It'll come to you when you're in your car driving home. Absolutely.

Speaker 1: 30:09

That's what.

Speaker 2: 30:10

I wanted to say, yeah, well, that's okay. Sometimes we don't always have it all.

Speaker 1: 30:14

So no, this is I'm human.

Speaker 2: 30:25

We are imperfect and it's okay. I'd probably be in the same spot if I wasn't asking you the questions, so I relate to you a lot. But thank you so much for being here. I really appreciate you just coming here, sharing your wisdom telling us a little bit about yourself and the industry, so appreciate it. Yeah, thanks for having me, absolutely.